Information providing apparatus, information providing system, and information providing method

Abstract

An information providing apparatus receives an information request concerning a lendable movable external power feeding apparatus (power feeder) for supplying electric power from a terminal via a network, provides, by communicating with such a power feeder via the network, lending/borrowing information acquired from a database for managing information including an electric power supply capability, a current location, and a weight of the power feeder, an identifier for specifying the power feeder, and lending/borrowing information of the power feeder, acquires information concerning a lending price of the power feeder set by the owner in response to the information request, and edits information to be provided to the terminal, based on the acquired information and transmits the edited information to the terminal via the network.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An information providing apparatus for providing information via a network in response to a request from a terminal, comprising:
 a reception unit configured to receive, from the terminal via the network, an information request concerning a lendable movable external power feeding apparatus configured to supply electric power;   a database configured to manage information including an electric power supply capability, a current location, and a weight of the lendable movable external power feeding apparatus, an identifier for specifying the lendable external power feeding apparatus, and lending/borrowing information of the lendable external power feeding apparatus;   an editing unit configured to provide, by communicating with an external power feeding apparatus via the network, the lending/borrowing information acquired by accessing the database in response to the information request, acquire information concerning a lending price of the external power feeding apparatus, and edit, based on the acquired information, information to be provided to the terminal that has issued the information request; and   a transmission unit configured to transmit, via the network, the information edited by the editing unit to the terminal that has issued the information request,   wherein the lending price is a price set, based on the lending/borrowing information stored in the database, by an owner of the external power feeding apparatus that performs communication via the network.   
     
     
         2 . The information providing apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the information request received by the reception unit includes information representing a position of the terminal that has issued the information request. 
     
     
         3 . The information providing apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein the information edited by the editing unit includes a position, a lending price, and an electric power supply capability concerning each lendable movable external power feeding apparatus located near the terminal that has issued the information request. 
     
     
         4 . The information providing apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the lending/borrowing information is history information accumulated every time lending is performed, and
 the history information includes the lending price and a lending period.   
     
     
         5 . The information providing apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the external power feeding apparatus transforms a direct current supplied from a rechargeable battery into an alternating current, and
 the rechargeable battery includes one of a secondary battery mounted in a vehicle including an EV and a PHEV and a fuel cell.   
     
     
         6 . An information providing system comprising:
 an information providing apparatus;   a terminal connected to the information providing apparatus via a network; and   an external power feeding apparatus connected to the information providing apparatus via the network, wherein   the information providing apparatus provides information via the network in response to a request from the terminal, and   the information providing apparatus comprises:
 a reception unit configured to receive, from the terminal via the network, an information request concerning a lendable movable external power feeding apparatus configured to supply electric power; 
 a database configured to manage information including an electric power supply capability, a current location, and a weight of the lendable movable external power feeding apparatus, an identifier for specifying the lendable external power feeding apparatus, and lending/borrowing information of the lendable external power feeding apparatus; 
 an editing unit configured to provide, by communicating with an external power feeding apparatus via the network, the lending/borrowing information acquired by accessing the database in response to the information request, acquiring information concerning a lending price of the external power feeding apparatus, and editing, based on the acquired information, information to be provided to the terminal that has issued the information request; and 
 a transmission unit configured to transmit, via the network, the information edited by the editing unit to the terminal that has issued the information request, and 
 wherein the lending price is a price set, based on the lending/borrowing information stored in the database, by an owner of the external power feeding apparatus that performs communication via the network. 
   
     
     
         7 . An information providing method in an information providing apparatus for providing information via a network in response to a request from a terminal, comprising:
 receiving, from the terminal via the network, an information request concerning a lendable movable external power feeding apparatus configured to supply electric power;   providing, by communicating with an external power feeding apparatus via the network, lending/borrowing information acquired by accessing a database configured to manage information including an electric power supply capability, a current location, and a weight of the lendable movable external power feeding apparatus, an identifier for specifying the lendable external power feeding apparatus, and lending/borrowing information of the lendable external power feeding apparatus in response to the information request, acquiring information concerning a lending price of the external power feeding apparatus, and editing, based on the acquired information, information to be provided to the terminal that has issued the information request; and   transmitting, via the network, the edited information to the terminal that has issued the information request,   wherein the lending price is a price set, based on the lending/borrowing information stored in the database, by an owner of the external power feeding apparatus that performs communication via the network.